Thomas Day

Inky Tales Thomas Day

This is a historic account of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News as it reached its peak in circulation, and started on the decline experienced by newspapers across America and the world. It is told from the viewpoint of a newspaper driver, who had the unique position of being both inside the building and observing management and journalistic activities, and from the street where the papers were being sold. The author, telling the story, started out as a poor kid from a lower middle class neighborhood and used an opportunity as a mechanic, and then a truck driver, to eventually become a Ph. D. in Engineering. Because the newspaper is such a unique industry, and is now dying as a result of the internet, there are few stories about the height of its dominance and demand in forming policy, and in this case, Philadelphia history. Also, the people who worked there were a unique group, coming from similar backgrounds at their levels. The patchwork of stories and tales provides the reader of what the climate and culture was of the Philadelphia Newspapers from the period of about 1976 to 1990.